Summary This position is located in the Nutrition and Food Service of a Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Nutrition and Food Services is responsible for providing meals and nutritional care to Veteran patients at the Medical Center. The primary purpose of the Cook, WG-4, is to prepare nutritious, high quality meals for service to the Veterans. The position has a sequence of steps that require attention to work operations, sanitation and safety; work assignments may require knowledge and judgment. Responsibilities Major Duties: Performs a full range of simple cooking which entails the preparation and cooking of meals that require little or no processing Follows menus, production sheets and recipes to prepare items in the quantity needed.- Performs full range of simple cooking by preparing and cooking items requiring little or no processing such as hot cereals, concentrated or dehydrated soups, sauces, and gravies. Follows sanitary food handling procedures; covers, labels and dates food items; utilize or discard ingredients by expiration date. Disassembles and assembles component parts and accessories for cleaning. Cleans, stores and maintains all kitchen utensils, equipment and work areas practicing a "clean as you go" concept. Cleans and sanitizes assigned work areas: worktables, sinks, blast chillers, racks, carts. Rotates and stores perishable and non-perishable items according to service policies. Removes outdated or damaged goods from stock. Labels all food items with contents and dates per labeling guidelines. Weighs, measures, and assembles ingredients accurately and according to standardized recipes or requisitions. Work Schedule: Varies, must be able to work Days, Evenings, Weekends, and Holidays Position Description Title/PD#: Cook/PD99819S Physical Requirements: Performs work in areas of extremes of temperature. Work is carried out in kitchen/dish room areas that are often hot, uncomfortable and noisy. Environment includes exposure to extreme cold while working in walk-in refrigerators and freezers for extended periods of time to complete duties. Works with other cooks, food service workers and supervisors. Is exposed to steam, cooking odors, and noise from equipment and conversation. Is subject to hazards of cuts, bruises, strains, burns and falls in kitchen environment. Uses strong cleaning and sanitizing solutions which may frequently be skin and respiratory irritants. Performs work in patient care settings where there may be exposure to contagious disease. May have contact with patients who demonstrate verbally and /or physical aggressive behavior. Required to wear proper hair covering and clean uniform. Wear disposable gloves when handling food for service and proper protective equipment when completing cleaning activities. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: Dexterity and Safety Interpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading) Materials Technical Practices Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Without more than normal supervision Work Practices Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Education Additional Information The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
